Bottle cap



March 4, 1941. W. G. WAGNER I 2,233,994' l BOTTLE CAP Filed DeC. 2G, 1959 WMMW Paienied Mar. 4, 1941 sT-AT corran car William G. Wagner, Hollywood, Calif.

Application December as, 1939, serial Nc. 310,953

3 claims. (o1. 21e-39) This inventionrelates to improvements in bottle caps. f

An object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle cap for use on -conventionally shaped or conventionally formed bottle mouths wherein the cap is of such design that it may be readily applied to the bottles by means of conventional bottle capping machines, the cap being advantageous in that it forms and maintains a superior seal with the bottle mouth.

rBottles that are now generally used to market variousliquid 4and semi-liquid substances, such as for example soda Water, beer, wines, catsup, and vthe like, now have their mouths of -a standardized shape and size. The cap that is generally used onl such bottles usually has a crimped ange or side and a ilat top. On the underside of the at top there is a. fabricated cork lining which is held iirmly against the 'top of the bottle when the crimped sides are drawn against the sides of the bottle mouth by means of the conventional bottle capping machine. Where the top of the cap is flat it transmits a distributed pressure to the lining so that the pressure with which the cork lining is forced against the bottle mouth is widely distributed. If the contents of the bottle is under pressure as in the case of soda water, beer, and .the like, the distributed pressure applied to the lining of the cap is insullioient to maintain the requisite seal to prevent the escape of pressure within the bottle.

This results in a substantial percentage of bottles having their contents spoil or turn flat.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle cap wherein the pressure applied to the lining by the cap is largely localized by means of two`concentric beads formed by corrugations on the cap. In this way, the pressure transmitted through the lining instead of being a widely distributed pressure, is largely localized 'on two concentric lines, the inner line forming a -rst or primary seal and the outer line providing a secondary seal. Consequently, with the cap of the present designl danger of Ithe contents of the bottle spoiling or turning hat is greatly reduced. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap" which not only possesses superior sealing characteristics, but which is of such design that it may be fed through the conventional bottle capping machine, and in addition, it may have applied thereto the printing or advertising matter that is now painted or lithographed on the conventional bottle cap.

With rthe foregoing and other objects in view,

which will be made manifest in the following ldetailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of a bottle mouth on an enlarged scale illustrating the cap in vertical section in its initial condition wherein it is about to be applied tothe bottle mouth;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved cap; and 1 Fig. 3 is a sectional lview through a 'bottle mouth illustrating the improved cap in vertical section and in its final condition after having been applied to the bottle mouth.

Referring `to the accompanying drawing where;y in similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, I0 indicates the mouth of a conventional soda water bottle or-.beer bottle. Inasmuch as the size and shape of the mouths of these bottles has now been generally stand--v ardized, no detailed description of the bottle mouth need be made herein. It willfbe understood, however, ythatthe improved cap has been designed t-o be applied to the conventional bottle. mouth so that no special construction of bottle is required in order to secure the advantages of the present invention.

The 4cap is stamped out of sheet metal ofapproximately the conventional thickness and other characteristics and has a -top generallyvdesignated at I I and the conventional crimped sides or flange I2. The Itop of the cap, however, is not ilat as is .the case with a, conventional cap, but instead has two continuous concentric corrugations I3 and Id formed therein which form continuous \concentric beads I5 and I6 on the underside of the cap. The outer bead I5y is spaced inwardly a short distance from the side or flange I2 so as to be arranged just outwardly of .the center of `the wall thickness of lthe bottle at the bottle mouth. The inner bead I6 is arranged somewhat inwardly of the inner corner of the bottle mouth. The metal between the two corrugations I3 and I4 is arranged in. a plane somewhat above the bottom surface oi the beads I5 and I6, this metal being indicated at Il. Likewise, in the cap as originally formed,'the metal I8 whlchis outwardly of the outer bead is disposed above.

ter portion I9 of the top of the cap. If desired, the lining may also be glued or attached to the vbead I6 but attachment at this point is unnecessary. It is advantageous to cement the lining 20 to the attaching surface of the depressed portion I9 so as to hold the lining and cap together as'they pass through the bottle capping machine prior to the cap being applied to th'e bottle.

-When the cap is applied tothe bottle mouth the conventional bottle capping machine draws the crimped sides I2 underneath the lip 2| and in so doing the metal at I8 is drawn downwardly `or fiattened as indicated at 22. Just prior to the the drawing of the metal adjacent the edge of the cap the cork lining is positioned on the bottle mouth and the inner bead .I6 ltends to force it against the inner corner of the bottle mouth. As the cap is drawn tight inasmuch as the outer lbead I5 is slightly above the inner bead I6 there is a slight delay in the outer bead engaging the cork lining affording the edge of the lining an opportunity to be drawn or squeezed outwardly .overthe edge of the bottle mouth. The outer beadA I5 then engages the lining and the metal I8 isdrawn downwardly or flattened. Some of the outer corrugation I3v is not entirely destroyed but still remains on the cap as indicated at 23.

The pressure exerted on tne lining by the nat-'- tening of the corrugation causes an outer line or circle of localized pressure to be continued to be exerted through theV lining ofthe bottle mouth. The inner bead I6 is hardly deformed to any extent whatsoever during the application of the cap and is effective to transmit an inner localized line or circle of pressur'e through the lining to the i inner corner of the bottle mouth forming a pri'-` mary seal. Thus, with two concentric lines orA circles of localized `pressure double seals are formed and the danger of gas pressure escaping fromthe interior of the bottle is reduced to a minimum. Q

It is manifest that in order to gain the advantages of the double seals'that the lining 20 cannot be too thick. If made quite thick the effect of the two beads I5 and IB is somewhat loosenedy therein and becomes a distributed or dissipated pressure which approaches in its effect the distributed pressure exerted on the lining" by the conventional nat-topped capa The fabricated cork lining that I prefer to employ does not exceed one-tenth of an inch in thickness sothat the pressures transmitted therethrough by the bead I6 and what is left of bead I5 following application will be in the nature of localized rings of pressure as distinguished from distributed4 areas of pressure.

^ From the above-described construction of bottl'e cap-it will be appreciated that the design of the cap is such that it can be fed through the conventional bottle capping machine and applied f to the conventional bottle vgroun'd." Furthermore, although there are corrugations or depressions formed on the top surface of the cap, these are not such as to interfere with the application of or the reading of any printing or advertising'y matter that it may be desired to apply to the top surface of the cap. Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Y

I claim: 1. A bottle cap having a top and crimped sides, the4 top having two concentric corrugations formed thereon-` forming concentric beads on the underside of the cap which project downwardly below the metal of the cap therebetween, the in' ner bead being arranged to compress a lining tightly against the inner edge of a bottle` mouth,

and the outer bead being arranged to compress a lining tightly against the bottle mouth adjacent the outer edge thereof, the metal of the cap between the sides and the outer bead, being orig` inally above the bottom of the outer bead but being adapted to be flattened or forced downwardly from such elevated position on applying the cap to a bottle, the top of the cap having a depressed inner portion within the inner Icorrugation providing a gluing or cementing surface for attaching the lining thereto, said surface being approximately flush with the bottoms of the beads.

2. A bottle cap having a top and crimped sides, said top having a depressed inner portion adjacent the center thereof providing on its underside an attaching surface for attaching a lining thereto, there being two concentric corrugations formed in the cap about said depressed inner portion forming beads on the underside of the cap approximately even with the attaching surface, the metal of the cap between the beads and outwardly of the outer bead being initially disposed above the beads.

'and 4outwardly of the outer bead being. initially disposed above the beads, but the metal outwarddownwardly`or flattened on applying the cap to a bottle.

WILLIAM G. WAGNER.'

vly of the outer bead being'adapted to be forced 

